Star photos of the year by Kelly Wilkinson

Britney Killea, left, and John Tilson hold the cremated remains of their son, Conor Liam Tilson, at their Middletown, Ind., home, Friday, Sept. 27, 2013. Conor was 5 1/2 months old when he died in an unlicensed home day care in January 2013. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Washington Township North Central High School Latin teacher Steve Perkins laughs while hugging his children Olivia and Austin Perkins, after he was named Indiana Teacher of the Year, Friday, Oct. 4, 2013. Media and supporters surprised the teacher as they walked into his room for the announcement. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Ellie Lindauer stands in the peaceful water before she and other elite participants start the swimming portion of the 2013 Go Girls Triathlon in Eagle Creek Park, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

IMPD officer Stacy Hanks salutes as the hearse carrying slain IMPD officer Rod Bradway passes during his funeral procession on Washington Street, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013. Hanks has been with the department for 30 years and is with Bradway's roll call, but on a different shift. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Amere Crawford, 23 months, from Fort Wayne, Ind., gets his face and mask painted at the annual Halloween party held at Riley Hospital for Children in the Simon Family Tower lobby, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013. He is a patient at the hospital. Pediatric patients and their families picked out free Halloween costumes and enjoyed Halloween crafts and activities. Volunteers with local Spirit Halloween stores and Riley at IU Health child life staff put on the event as part of the Spirit of Children program. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Betina Pierson shows her tattooed hands in memory of her daughter Tierra, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. Tierra Pierson and her cousin January Canada were hit by a drunken driver after a Colts game in December 2010. Tierra, 12, was killed. Betina has "I love you," and the year Tierra was born on her right hand, and "my darling baby," and the year she died, on her left hand. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Rosco poses with his family, getting a hug from Madison Pritchard, 10, in their Mellott, Ind., home after returning, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013. He had been lost during a recent tornado and adopted by another owner from a local animal shelter. But after a month and a plea from the original family, the dog was returned. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Cody Potter shaves Mayor Greg Ballard at Red's Classic Barer Shop as part of the Shave Off Kick-Off event for Movember Indy, Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. After making a proclamation that Nov. 1, 2013 is Movember Indy Day, Mayor Ballard got a shave in support of the charity event raising money and awareness to defeat prostate and testicular cancer. The downtown barber shop offered discounts on the shaves for men to get ready to grow facial hair for a cause. Movember began in Melbourne, Australia, and has since grown into a worldwide campaign that calls attention to men's health issues. Since 2003, more than 1.1 million men have participated, raising $174 million. In the U.S., the beneficiaries are the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG Foundation. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

A penguin swims underwater as other penguins hang out on shore at the Indianapolis Zoo, Monday, Oct. 28, 2013. Throughout the week, visitors to the zoo can see aquarists feeding fish to three species of penguins, Gentoo, and Rockhoppers, which are endangered, and Kings which are a threatened species. As well as feeding the birds, aquarists make a lot of observations, such as monitoring who is eating or not, and what they are eating. Now is the breeding season, so it is also monitored which birds are mating. Though many penguins will remain in a couple for a long time, they will sometimes change a mate. The aquarists must make sure that, for genetic diversity, that certain birds do not mate. For example, if birds are related, or if a bird mates with one of the penguins with epilepsy and on medicine, these penguins are not allowed to mate, for genetic reasons. At any rate, a lot of observation goes along with the feeding time of the aquatic and flightless birds who are truly social. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Ian Gentry, 4, is aglow in his 3D glasses, walking past a wall of bones at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis' haunted house, Time Warp: 50 Years of Fear, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. On the last day of the Museum Guild's haunted house's 50th anniversary, a record crowd of attendance was reached. The previous record was 65,034 set in 2011. A family of visitors brought the numbers to 65,035 through 65,038 visitors to this year's Haunted House, earlier in the last day. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Eloise Batic, a local burlesque performer, is dressed as a chess queen, Friday, Dec. 6, 2013, for the upcoming burlesque show, "Toy Chest," that will be at the Anthenaeum Theater on Dec. 13, 2013. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Marilyn Crook, right, cries as she finally gets to hug her son Brent Crook at the homecoming of Army National Guard 1438 Transportation, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013, at Indian Creek High School in Trafalgar. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Conservation technician Laura Mosteller dusts the Contemporary Design Gallery at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. This piece she cannot dust because the duster she has will draw more dust to the piece of art than it will take off. She has to approach each piece with care, assessing its dusting needs. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Dr. George Kordis paints in the Holy Communion scene at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Thursday, March 7, 2013. Dr. George Kordis, from Athens Greece, and his group of iconographers are visiting the north side church for a phase one of paintings in the temple. This trip, the group of artists, including Kordis, are painting Byzantine-style iconographic imagery in the temple's dome, the sanctuary and the nave. The dome has been painted already, becoming an icon for heaven. The Christ figure, surrounded by angels and prophets, rises overhead. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Twins Kenwyn and Kendall Pfister make funny faces during a photo shoot of some of the 17 sets of twins from the Carmel High School senior class, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. The 34 seniors hope to find out if they will go down in history as having the most sets of twins in a single class and the most "multiple birth sets" in the same academic year, in Guinness World Records. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star

Covered with snow and debris, stairs lead up to the second floor apartments and projection room at the Rivoli Theatre, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. The historic movie house, which is in great disrepair, will be renovated as part of the eastside neighborhood restoration. Kelly Wilkinson/The Star